试射 (shì shè) — trial fire; test launch (of weapons or missiles)

Definition

noun

trial firetest launch (of weapons or missiles)

试射。
Zhè cì shì shè qǔ dé le yuán mǎn chéng gōng.
This test launch was a complete success.
试射。
Xīn xíng dǎo dàn yǐ jīng wán chéng le sān cì shì shè.
The new missile has completed three trial launches.
试射。
Jūn fāng jì huà zài xià ge yuè jìn xíng shí dàn shì shè.
The military plans to conduct a live-fire trial next month.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

试 indicates a trial, and 射 indicates firing, together meaning a test fire or launch.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 試; 试 is its simplified writing.

言式試

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

式

Same sound today

The traditional form 試 puts 言 beside 式, and 式 gives the sound; the simplified 试 is the form of this character.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 射, the left part comes from 弓 (bow) and 矢 (arrow), and the right part comes from a hand drawing the bowstring.